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Notes / Commercial Description:
Nickel Brook took some of the best Pinot Noir barrels from the Niagara wine region and tossed their Bolshevik Bastard Imperial Stout in it? I mean, what have they done to the soft oak and subtle, earthy fruit notes from the barrel? Their Imperial Stout has WAY too much chocolate, coffee and dark fruit flavours for the delicate notes imparted by the barrel-aging process. I don't know what they think they're doing. So what if it's delicious? Drink it today, or cellar it to enjoy later as it matures. A votre santé!

User Ratings & Reviews

the best imperial stout ive ever had. the initial flavor is almost entirely of the stout, but it finishes strong on the pinot noir flavor. this beer is a perfect hybrid, well worth aging for a couple of years as well!

A- Opens well and pours a ton of head that lasts. Watch the bottle as it foams for a half hour LOL. Super dark and rich looking

S- Lots of Pinot here. Oodles of wine. You can't imagine the grape goodness on this one.

T- Fantastic! WOW this is fanominal. Never thought that a wine barrel aged beer was this good. This gives me ideas. So impressed. Will buy on sight every time I see it.

M- Dry and tart like a Pinot Noir. No booze at all.

O- WOW I like this one. So good. Looking forward to all wine BA beers I can find now just to see what they offer!

Food Pairing

This one I saved knowing it had to be good for...... Roasted lamb head with rosemary, garlic, hot pepper flakes, salt pepper, parm cheese, parsley and olive oil. WOW this was great. Rub these ingredients down on the head and throw in the oven at 400deg F for 1.5hrs then take some potatoes, slice them 1" thick from the center in wedges, toss them in olive oil, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning then pitch them in. Cook 30mins longer then here you go!

This is one of my favorite beers, plain and simple. The base of Winey Bastard is Nickelbrook's Bolshevik Bastard, a much boozier Russian Imperial. The aging smooths out the sharpness of the base, and the pinot noir is very prominent. I am not much of a wine drinker, but I love how this beer evokes a chocolate and dark fruit combination. I've aged 2014's and sampled them throughout time, and so far, this beer only gets better with time.

A: Full Black no light coming through this fucker, Mocha Head with little retention.

S: Chocolate and cherries combined very well, Nice Wine (Pinot Noir) Smell with the Oak. There is a prominent tart smell, like a sour feel, probably because of the wine. There are some plumbs and other dry fruits with light roasted malts in the background.

T: Chocolate and wine hits the tongue, followed by coffee and roasted malts. Malts are a bit more noticeable in the palate that the nose. Not much tartness and some dry fruit undertones. After all this barrage of flavors there comes a slight bitterness followed by a light dryness in the end.

M: Nice full bodied, heavy looking, with low carbonation, just how a barrel aged should be. The sour and dry note of the wine creates a tingling feel in the mouth, almost like heat (not quite like). Despise of everything is incredibly smooth and flows easily.

O: Very nice beer, huge array of flavors, I would of preferred less coffee and more chocolate mix with the wine. Overall good solid beer, worth picking up.

750 mL wax-sealed bottle from the LCBO. This is the 2015 version, listed at 9.3% and served at cellar temperature. This one has eluded me for a few years now, but I'm pumped to finally try it - one of my oldest wants from an Ontario brewer.

Inky-black pour, capped with a half-inch of frothy, tan-coloured head. It holds itself together nicely for a few minutes; a foamy collar is the eventual remnant, surrounding a few bubbly islets floating atop the surface. Par for the style visually, but the aroma perks the ol' eyebrows up - subtle yet unmistakable Brett funkiness comes through nicely, along with red grape skin, cherry, oak tannin and wine. Slightly tart, too; I like the nose, but its roasted malt elements are mostly obscured by the barrel, wild yeast, and alcohol.

Well, it comes as advertised - the wine barrel is the star of the show here, so if you don't enjoy red-winey flavours of tart grape must, sour cherry and plum, then this big bottle will be a long slog for you. Myself? I don't think there'll be any issues. Oak wood and grape tannin flavours vigorously permeate the profile. Light notes of molasses and dark chocolate come through mid-sip, with a touch of vanilla and some earthy hops preceding a tart finish with some horse blanket. Light notes of coffee grounds in the aftertaste, with lingering suggestions of oak tannin and grape skin that slowly fade from the palate. Medium-bodied, with low carbonation levels and a smooth, slick, oily mouthfeel; the alcohol is pretty well-integrated, but still a factor.

Final Grade: 4.1, an A-. Winey Bastard was a nice treat, but it's definitely more of an acquired taste than the Kentucky variant (which I prefer). I still feel that the base stout isn't allowed to shine through adequately - the barrel, tart grape and Brett flavours just overwhelm it. Winey Bastard bears only a passing resemblance to Bolshevik Bastard, and will not necessarily appeal to fans of that beer. I do like this and might pick up another bottle, but given the high price tag and potential for disappointment, I would only recommend it to BAs that dabble in oenophilia, or at least those who already have experience with WBA beers.